[daz1977]

has any one been on a marketing course and if you did, which one and have you found it helpful with ur business

[wizard]

I think you will benefit more from reading a few marketing books and applying what you feel will work in your business. Marketing charges with time and one needs to under stand what it will do for you. Books on the strata gee on market in small business. The best books will have to applied to our industry.

[Clive McDonald]

It's interesting that not everything that works, works in wc.

I love this subject but don't share ideas because it was a very hard process to arrive at them.

The exact wording of a leaflet, or signwriting wont make too much difference, it's how you do things and strategy.If you get it wrong try something else.

I expect the course is very good.As wizard says things change, at the moment it's about experience.

[Clive McDonald]

It's not the question you asked but i examined every aspect of my interaction with customers- write a list- and then found ways to do it better.

The list is not a long one, and the actions you can take seem obvious once you've figured them out.Guess what, you have to spend money.

[Window Washers]

It's not the question you asked but i examined every aspect of my interaction with customers- write a list- and then found ways to do it better.

The list is not a long one, and the actions you can take seem obvious once you've figured them out.Guess what, you have to spend money.

Would you go into more details slumbuster ?

[Clive McDonald]

If you are just starting stick to basics uniform, signed van leaflet, biz card, parish mag.

If you have been going longer and want to be a standout you need to try harder.Look all the other guys and see what they do. I compete with everyone on this forum, whenever they put a van up i take a look and compare.

I am not very good at commercial i have to be honest.I am good at domestic.I do the same as everyone else except i do it better.

Window cleaning is different because it is loyalty based.Dave said he bought a round and the custies said the wc was rubbish, and dave had been trying to get that work for years with leaflets etc, yet they had all stuck with the rubbish cleaner even though they all had stories about bad he was.

I do have one big idea but i don't want to share.The idea came from the dragons den dragon who had the company that sold balloon rides for birthdays etc. She had a great box designed so they bought something tangible.She went skint by the way.....

[matt]

I do have one big idea but i don't want to share.The idea came from the dragons den dragon who had the company that sold balloon rides for birthdays etc. She had a great box designed so they bought something tangible.She went skint by the way.....

you want to sell a window cleaning package for birthday gifts

it aint going to work  picture the scene

here you are love, happy birthday * hands "12 months worth of window cleaning on surrender of this card"  card to wife *

thwack

[ftp]

Hmmm, seems to me if you want to hit the big time ie. the large commercial contracts, then you need to go back to school and learn how to play the game. That is learn all the modern day bull****, know how to present method statements, risk assessments, know how to present letters and generally baffle the facilities managers with waffle. Get all the little stickers to plaster your van and stationary with to imply you are some kind of master craftsman and bob's yer uncle!

[matt]

Hmmm, seems to me if you want to hit the big time ie. the large commercial contracts, then you need to go back to school and learn how to play the game. That is learn all the modern day bull****, know how to present method statements, risk assessments, know how to present letters and generally baffle the facilities managers with waffle. Get all the little stickers to plaster your van and stationary with to imply you are some kind of master craftsman and bob's yer uncle!

little stickers are the way forward i tell ya

[ftp]

Look at the kind of work Dave St I'ves picks up. If that's the kind of work you are after then you need to know how to get through the red tape like he has.
How many of us can be bothered? I know I can't so i'm happy not being a big player but swamped with residential work instead.
I don't feel marketing is that important for residential work - i've never done much and haven't needed too. Picked up a commercial gutter clean a couple of weeks ago in an area that could have been a disaster for a public liability claim - customer never even asked if I was insured 

[daz1977]

am not really after the type of work that dave morris does,  have seen it and wouldnt want the stress (no offence dave)  i was just trying to find out if any one had doen a course as i know the BWCAdoes one,   as i want to get a little bit of commerical and hotels as there is a lot of them where i live

[gewindows]

I am not very good at commercial i have to be honest.I am good at domestic.I do the same as everyone else except i do it better.

Now threre's a contradiction if ever I heard one. Nit picking maybe 

[gewindows]

I know a window-cleaner who gives holidays away as an incentive. Not a wind-up, its very true.

Is it financially viable? In his case yes and thats not because of the size of his contracts, the last one he told me about I think he gave one to the owner of the hairdressers whose shop windows he does.

[Clive McDonald]

I'm not good at marketing commercial is what i mean't. ftp's probably right, and dave certainly is good at it.
My evaluation of his marketing is that his new vans are signed perfectly for a clean efficient look, his porfolio of iconic and landmark buildings in devon and cornwall is something that any potential customer could buy into. He's more than up to speed on the risk and H&S etc. His wifes probably a great asset in the business too.

That's not to say he doesn't welcome a good tip- like pay the lads a bit less but motivate them with odd pasty

[Window Washers]

Just wish my kids were older, and my wife did not want a career